Wagner soldiers on a 'coffee break'? Video reportedly from Rostov in Russia

Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed control of two cities as part of their attempt to “oust military leadership” in Moscow.

The Wagner Group - the Yevgeny Prigozhin-led army of mercenaries - made global headlines Saturday morning after it initiated a coup against Vladimir Putin and Russian military leadership. Videos of Wagner soldiers, tanks and armed vehicles rumbling across the Russian border from Ukraine - where it has led Moscow's war on Ukraine - soon filled the internet, as did one very peculiar clip shared online by an independent military analyst of armed soldiers ordering coffee at a restaurant in Rostov - the city Wagner claims it seized control of today.

“Did Wagner fighters stop for coffee on their way into the Rostov MOD headquarters?” another Twitter user questioned, sharing a photograph sourced to NYT.(Twitter/@anneapplebaum)

The caption with the 29-second video is: "Wagner fighters ordering coffee in Rostov."

A photograph shared by Anne Applebaum, a staff writer for American magazine The Atlantic, shows half-a-dozen soldiers crossing a street with tank in the background. That caption reads: "did Wagner fighters stop for coffee on their way into the Rostov MOD headquarters?"

Applebaum's tweet credited the photograph to Reuters via The New York Times.

Hindustan Times cannot independently verify the video or the photograph.

Meanwhile, other videos and pictures shared online - including those by the Russia's state-run TASS news agency - showed armed men surrounding administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks deployed in the city centre. It is not, however, clear if the personnel and equipment are Wagner forces or regular Russian military.

The sanguine street cleaner

Earlier today another curious video surfaced - reportedly showing a Rostov street cleaner working unperturbed with a convoy of Wagner tanks visible in the background.

That video was also shared by the aforementioned military analyst, who wrote: "A somewhat surreal sight in Rostov as street cleaners continue their Saturday morning duties."

The rebellion in Rostov-on-Don

Prigozhin claimed Saturday he had entered Russia and taken over army facilities in Rostov - effectively claiming control of the city that is HQ to the country's southern military.

The Wagner chief - who said Putin made 'wrong choice', after he was slapped with a treason charge by an outraged president - has said his 25,000 fighters and he are ready to die.

Why the coup?

The developments came after Prigozhin accused Moscow of targeting his forces with missile strikes that he said killed 'a huge number of our fighters'. "The council of commanders of PMC Wagner has made a decision -- the evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped," Prigozhin said in a series of furious audio messages.

He warned Russians against resisting his forces and called on them to join him. "We need to put an end to this mess," he said, adding, "this is not a military coup, but a march of justice."

What did Putin say?

Putin has called the Wagner Group's actions 'armed mutiny' and an 'act of treason'. He said those who have taken up arms against the Russian military will face consequences.